Friday, November 13, 2020

Epigenetic Regulation of the Clinical Signs of Friedreich’s Disease

E. P. Nuzhny, N. Yu. Abramycheva, N. S. Nikolaeva, M. V. Ershova, S. A. Klyushnikov, S. N. Illarioshkin & E. Yu. Fedotova; Neurosci Behav Physi (2020). doi:10.1007/s11055-020-00998-9 

Studies of genetic-epigenetic interactions identified correlations between the extent of methylation of a series of CpG sites in the UP-GAA and DOWN-GAA and the number of GAA repeats in both expanded alleles of the FXN gene in patients with FD. We also found a link between methylation and the presence of the extraneural signs of FD: cardiomyopathy was more likely to be present when the CpG site of the promoter region was hypermethylated, while impairments to carbohydrate metabolism were more common in hypomethylation of CpG sites in the DOWN-GAA area. Conclusions. The data obtained here provide evidence that epigenetic modifications of the FXN gene make a significant contribution to forming the clinical picture of FD.